VIDALIA — The Vidalia office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently named a new area engineer, filling the vacant spot with new face ready to get to work for the region.

“I am soaking up as much information as I can right now,” new area engineer Tyrone Crear said. “I am very anxious to get started.”

Crear is bringing more than three decades worth of experience to the position. He has previously worked for the Corps in Galveston, Texas, Detroit, Kansas City and Afghanistan.

“I graduated from Southern University with a degree in civil engineering and started working with the Corps right after I graduated,” he said.

With a history of living in big cities, Crear said the move to the Miss-Lou has been a pleasant reminder of his childhood in Lake Providence, La.

“This is like a coming home party to me,” he said. “I really love the small town atmosphere and the environment. The people are friendlier here, especially compared to when I lived up north.”

Crear said he has served as area engineer at his previous jobs, and the position entails a lot of work.

“My office is responsible for managing construction activities within my area of responsibility,” he said. “We basically manage all the construction projects that are going on.”

Crear said the Vidalia office is one of two offices run by the Vicksburg district of the Corps.

Crear said his office is currently working on a number of projects, including work on the Mississippi River levee and work on the Red River in Alexandria and Shreveport.

“We do have several ongoing construction projects, some of which have been under way for a while, and some of which that are just getting kicked off,” he said. “We also have some in the planning stages. There is always something going on.”

With his furniture finally in town, Crear said the move out of a hotel and into his apartment has got him ready to take charge as area engineer.

“Now that I am situated, it is time to get into the construction work that I was hired to do,” he said. “There are still some new things that I need to get used to, but I am energized by how much work the Vicksburg office has going on.”